


Autumn Table

by Rhynne



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Fortune Telling?, Gen, Natsume just can't stay out of trouble, Small Headcanons, calm and peaceful, fall themed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 08:55:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16343756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhynne/pseuds/Rhynne
Summary: Nyanko Sensei, never one to pass up free sake, drags Natsume to a once-every-century feast.If there's trouble, it's definitely not Natsume's fault this time. He swears.





	Autumn Table

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone!  
> So, this is my first-ever fanfiction, and I have no idea what I'm doing. It's essentially a long drabble with some of my headcanons, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!
> 
> Note: I know 'Kogitsune' basically just means 'fox child', but I didn't want to choose another name for him, so here we are.  
> Thanks to my very patient sister for doing a bit of beta-ing

A chill wind slipped through the trees as Natsume stumbled up the uneven terrain of a short hill. The fat lucky cat just in front of him waddled along, pausing every minute or so to sniff at the ground and hum in displeasure.

“Sensei, where exactly are we going?” Natsume panted, his foot catching on yet another protruding root.

The cat halted at his name, one paw lifted daintily (or as daintily as a creature of his stature could) in the air.

“Hmph. Don’t be so impatient, we should be there soon.” He turned to continue his mystery search.

Natsume sighed. “Nyanko Sensei…” 

Resigned, the boy pulled his coat tighter around himself, tucking his frozen nose into the collar. Vibrant leaves crunched underfoot, an occasional scrap of red or gold drifting down from the half-bare branches above the two. Natsume watched a puff of breath rise in front of him before it was scattered in the next breeze. They reached the end of the incline, arriving in a cleared plateau surrounded by a neat ring of gnarled old pines.

“Aha!” Nyanko exclaimed triumphantly. “It’s just like I remembered too.”

“What is this place?” Natsume stepped into the clearing, eyeing the circle of trees suspiciously.

“This,” Nyanko announced grandly, “is the entrance to the legendary Autumn Table. The great feast of the harvest held once every 100 years. Spirits come from all parts of Japan to join the festivities, and it’s one of the only times you’ll see so many youkai gathered peacefully. Obviously with so many strong spirits from so many different territories it normally wouldn’t be possible to stop hostilities, but the trick is getting past the gatekeeper.” 

Here Nyanko pattered into the middle of the clearing, shuffling leaves aside to reveal a marking in the icy dirt below. “Any youkai with violent intentions that steps onto this circle is immediately banished back to the edge of the forest. Of course, it doesn’t stop the mischievous ones, but as long as they mean no harm they’re allowed in.”

The cat flopped down on the edge of the newly uncovered spell circle with a satisfied sigh.

“Hey, Sensei…” Natsume started. “Why are you showing me this place?”

“It’s a can’t-miss festival! We have to go. The sake is to die for.” Nyanko hmphed.

“Yeah, but you’re not planning on bringing me to this, right?” Natsume questioned urgently.

Nyanko gave him a funny look. “Why do you think you’re here? Of course you’re going.”

The boy stared at his companion, taking a step back from the clearing. “It’s a youkai festival, Sensei. I’m not a spirit.”

“Well duh,” the lucky cat snorted, rolling his eyes. “The Table is the one youkai event you can be safe at. Relatively safe anyway. That’s why I brought you here so early actually. If we can get you in first, the qualifications for allowing guests in will include ‘won’t kill humans on sight’.”

“But-“ Natsume started.

“Nope!” Nyanko said cheerfully, too cheerfully in Natsume’s opinion. “The sooner we finish this, the better. Hurry up and get over here.”

Natsume shook his head, stepping backwards until he could feel the tilt of the hill again. He really didn’t think this was a good idea. Plus, it was already late, nearing sunset, and Touko-san would be expecting him and Nyanko Sensei home soon.

“Oh honestly,” Nyanko grumbled when Natsume still refused. An explosion of smoke, and he shifted into his wolf form. Gently snatching Natsume up between his teeth, the great youkai dropped the struggling human onto the carved circle.

“Sensei!” Natsume yelped.

“If you’re worrying about Touko, don’t. Time flows differently at the Table. As long as all goes well, we’ll be back with time to spare.” Madara rumbled.

Natsume began to shout his objection, but was interrupted when the circle activated, glowing and kicking up a spiral of wind.

“A human, hmm? This is certainly unusual.” A voice sang through the trees. 

Natsume gasped as a towering figure pieced itself together from the leaves in front of him. An indistinct body draped in a cloak of the brilliant fall leaves and an unmarked deer mask with a tangle of antlers dominated the ayakashi floating before him.

“And just like Reiko too,” it mused, bending just a bit closer to Natsume. “This will be quite the festival won’t it?”

Natsume startled. “Wait- you knew my grandmother?”

If a blank mask could smile, Natsume felt sure this would be what it looked like. He could hear Madara let out a sigh off to the side.

“You are the first to enter, human. Welcome to the Autumn Table.”

The glow of the already-activated circle flared, and Natsume was forced to close his eyes. When the light and wind had died down, he slowly opened them again. A long forested hall stretched out before him, with a massive, dark-wooden table running down nearly the entire length. Hundreds of log stools lined both sides to match. For a supposed feast, the table was curiously empty. 

A flicker of light drew Natsume’s attention to the side where Nyanko dropped to the ground, back in his sealed form and looking a bit disgruntled. The lucky cat shook himself, then immediately trotted down the hall, calling out as he went.

“Come on brat, you can’t just ogle the place, we have to find our seats.”

Natsume glanced at the completely unoccupied dining table, then at Nyanko Sensei as he picked his way down the row of stools, giving a quick inspection to each one.

“Um… does it matter where we sit?” Natsume inquired, confused.

Nyanko chose a log about a quarter of the way along the table and plunked himself down on it, shifting around as if to test it for… whatever he was looking for. “This feast isn’t just for the food. Its true value lies in its ability to tie beings together. Whoever you sit with during the festival, you become inexplicably linked to. Some of the greatest spirit alliances have formed at the Table. And some of the greatest marriages.”

Natsume stared. “Marriages?”

The lucky cat, now settled upon his stool, snorted. “I doubt you’ll have to worry about that. Point is, you go down the table and find a seat that calls to you. It’ll be fine.”

Nyanko turned his back dismissively, and Natsume knew that was all he was going to get out of his companion. Reluctantly, he commenced his own search for the perfect seat. ‘Find a seat that calls to you’ wasn’t a particularly definitive instruction, but Natsume did his best with it. Carefully, he picked his way from log to log, fingers trailing lightly over each surface. Each was grainy, yet smooth, but nothing in particular stood out to the teen.

Another burst of light at the head of the hall turned Natsume’s head as a new ayakashi tumbled onto the leaf-layered floor. Two matching robed spirits soon arrived after it, and they all proceeded to drift down the feasting hall in search of their own seats, not sparing a glance for the boy or the cat.

Natsume shook himself from his distracted trance, ducking his head and hurrying along the row of stools just a little faster. He had made it all the way to the end of the table and was well on his way back up the other side before he touched a seat that sent a hum down his arm. Startled from the monotony of his search, Natsume was forced to retrace a few steps. Tentatively, he tapped the stool again, and another hum echoed through his body, a little stronger this time. ‘Hum’ wasn’t the right description really, it was somewhere between a noise and a feeling, but not quite physical. It was an odd sensation, the kind you could only find in the youkai realm.

Natsume slipped onto the log, and immediately the strange tingling stopped. Relieved, he chanced a proper look up at the rest of the hall. He was sitting about halfway down on the opposite side of the table from Nyanko Sensei, a distance large enough to block his view of his rather short bodyguard. A few dozen new ayakashi now milled up and down the path alongside the table, and more arrived every minute. There was still no sign of food or even place settings. This did not seem to disturb any of the youkai attendees, so Natsume did his best to ignore it as well.

Hundreds of tiny paper lanterns suddenly flickered to life overhead as the sun dropped below the mountain ridge. The sylvan hall at once took on a magical, ethereal quality, with wisps of light glimmering in the surrounding trees, and deep red-orange shadows layering the area. The youkai shifted from a group of odd creatures to an array of ancient beings, imponderable and unreachable.

Natsume took in the incredible sight, suddenly feeling more conspicuous somehow, even though he knew the darkness would likely make it harder for others to distinguish him as human.

It wasn’t even an hour before the table was full, and new guests stopped appearing in the hall. 

Natsume had watched Misuzu arrive and, between one blink and the next, slip into a dark-haired human form that the stools could accommodate. That had certainly been a shock. He was pretty sure he had seen Hinoe as well, flitting among the festival-goers, and pausing to harass Nyanko Sensei. The little fox-child, Kogitsune, had pattered in, exclaiming with joy and launching himself at Natsume for a hug before settling down in the neighboring seat.

An impossibly-sized giant with three eyes and short tusks had entered the hall early on, shaking the ground with every step before shrinking swiftly down to a rat with unusually large teeth. A dragon with a long, rippling body and iridescent scales coiled itself neatly around a stool at the head of the table. A youkai that seemed to consist entirely of a dusty vortex had settled down a dozen seats past Nyanko.

So many different youkai from so many different origins, and yet Natsume hadn’t seen so much as a squabble. It seemed the gatekeeper was doing his job.  
Now Natsume turned to inspect the other two spirits just settling down in his table space, taking comfort in the presence of Kogitsune leaning on his right shoulder. 

Across from him was a slender ayakashi wrapped in a long, fluttery kimono with trailing willow branches for hair. Even when she stopped moving, the airy silks of her dress continued to stir in an unseen breeze. The willow spirit was staring at Natsume in open curiosity, clearly having just deduced that the boy opposite her was indeed human.

Natusme shuffled a bit in his seat, uncomfortable with such close scrutiny, before cautiously shifting his attention sideways to the being directly on his left. The feature that immediately caught his eye was a strange black half-mask that glinted with painted swirls and spikes. It covered the upper part of the youkai’s face, from the bridge of the nose and above. There were no spaces for eyes. The rest of its body was cloaked in a deep red robe that appeared almost black in the low light. The sleeves were long, but the fingers that extended past the draping fabric were bone white, to match the skin of the youkai’s face. It seemed to be staring straight ahead, apparently unaware of its own intimidating presence.

“I’ve never seen a human at the Table before.” A gentle voice intoned. Natsume took one last look at the dark youkai next to him before turning his gaze to the willow woman in front of him.

She continued. “Are you related to Reiko? You look very much alike. Enough that I thought you were her for a moment.” Her quiet voice somehow carried over the indistinct but noisy chatter of the hundreds of other ayakashi in the hall.

Natsume inhaled sharply. “Yes, I- she’s my grandmother. You knew Reiko?”

“Grandmother, hmm? I always forget how quickly you humans move on.” She sighed softly. “Yes, I knew her. The only one to ever take my name.” 

A wistful laugh. 

“I probably shouldn’t have agreed to her game, but it had been so long since I’d had another to play with… I couldn’t help myself. I had hoped to find her again after she moved away, but it seems my chance is already long gone.” A sad, nostalgic smile graced the willow youkai’s features.

“I don’t regret my choice, but now that Reiko is gone… I suppose I’ll never get my name back again.”

Natsume hesitated for a moment. “That… my grandmother left me a few of her things when she died. One of them was a book of names. I’ve been trying to return all the names she took. After this feast… I can return your name.”

“Really?” The youkai’s narrow black eyes widened in delight. “Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you, Reiko’s grandchild. Though… you say you will return it after the Table is over. Are you carrying this book right now?”

Kogitsune, who had mostly been listening quietly till this point, tightened his grip on Natsume’s arm. Natsume gently touched the fox child’s knee, and forced himself not to glance down at the pack around his waist. “I… um.”

The willow woman laughed again, this time a clear, breathy sound.

“Don’t worry child. You have already freely offered my name, and it is still in your possession after all. If it comes to defending it, I can promise that I am far stronger than I appear.”

She grinned again, and Natsume offered a small smile in return. Kogitsune relaxed his hold.

“In the meantime, before you return my name… you may call me Sai.”

A thunderous gong punctuated the end of her declaration, waves of sound reverberating through the shadowed feasting hall.

“Ah, and here’s the food!”

Thousands of tiny, chattering wisps swept over the table, groups of them working together to carry towering piles of food. Fish, berries, rice, chestnuts, mochi, sweetcakes, and more were distributed among the cheering feasters and soon heaped upon large, flat leaves with accompanying chopsticks that seemed to have simply risen out of the smooth wood in front of them.

Natsume very near gaped at the sight, barely registering the bouncing fox child next to him.

“Natsume! Look, look, there’s a _chestnut mochi cake_.” It’s all my favorites in one!” Kogitsune chattered gleefully.

Sai’s fond chuckle interrupted Natsume’s astonished daze. “He really is a cute one. Have you known him long?” She inquired.

“Ah, no… maybe a little under a year by now? We’ve only seen each other a couple of times.” Natsume said thoughtfully. He watched Kogitsune finish filling his leaf and begin collecting assorted morsels to place on Natsume’s.

“Hmm…” Sai acknowledged, swallowing a bite of her own meal. She watched the fox child’s antics a moment longer before turning back to Natsume. “So, what is a human doing at the Autumn Table? And how did you find the entrance?”

“Oh, Nyanko… my, um, bodyguard brought me.”

“Your bodyguard? A youkai? Or…” Her face fell a bit. “A shiki perhaps?”

Natsume quickly shook his head. “No, he’s here because he wants to be. Not that he’ll admit it, I think. He’s always telling other youkai that I’m his snack.” Natsume gave a short sigh of exasperation.

Sai perked up. “Snack… Does your bodyguard know a Madara by any chance?” 

“Oh… yeah. That’s him.”

Sai’s eyebrows prepared to lift clear off her face. “Really? That’s… shocking. I never thought he would get attached to a human again, not after what happened last time. And Reiko.”

“Last time? And… and what happened to Reiko?” Natsume asked tentatively.

The willow youkai smiled sadly. “Besides the fact that I don’t know much about it, it’s not my story to tell. Perhaps you can ask him yourself.”

Natsume frowned. “I don’t think he would tell me. Nyanko Sensei can be pretty secretive when he wants to.”

Sai blinked. “Nyanko Sensei?”

“Um, Madara I mean. He got sealed for a while and he’s in a lucky cat form most of the time now? He told me to call him Sensei…”

Natsume trailed off as Sai smothered giggles.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen!” She managed to choke out through muffled squeaks. “How humiliating for him. He always did pride himself on his ‘magnificent form.’” She snickered again.

“Madara was forced into a seal?”

Natsume jumped at the sudden rumbling question from the intimidating youkai beside him. He immediately and acutely missed the warm presence of Kogitsune against his shoulder, the fox child having leaned away to participate in a conversation of his own. Cold seemed to radiate in waves off the shadowed ayakashi now that its attention was on Natsume.

“Um. Yes? T-that’s how I found him at least.” Natsume stumbled over the words.

The youkai continued to pin Natsume with its sightless gaze.

“I see. It has been many years since I rejoined the land of change.” It finally intoned. “I knew Madara, long ago.”

Sai gasped “Sage of the Mountain! I… I didn’t realize until just now, but… I thought we’d never see you again.”

The so-called Sage of the Mountain dipped its head once in acknowledgement. “You may refer to me as Souken, if you wish. And you… you were once of my territory, Lord of the Riverbank.”

“Yes,” Sai breathed. “Oh, it’s been so long. Sage… S-souken. What brought you back?”

Souken’s head tilted just a fraction to the side. “The earth was tugging at my mind. I now believe it was tied to this human. Natsume. Why are you important enough for the mountain to push me back into the world?”

“I…”

Souken continued. “I will know the answer soon. For now, we should partake of this feast that H… the Autumn gatekeeper has laid out for us.” And with that, he lapsed into silence, picking at his meal.

Natsume looked helplessly at Sai, who merely shrugged before digging into her own food. The boy, after a glance at the still-occupied Kogitsune, could only follow suit.

 

~~~

 

A sliver of moon was high in the sky by the time the feast began to wind down. Once everyone had eaten his fill, the wisps had come again to sweep all the leftovers away. Then- out came the sake, and the cheerful dinner guests had become a raucous crowd. Natsume swore he could hear Sensei’s drunken complaints even half a table away.

“I see it now.” Souken spoke up out of the blue, words near inaudible over the rowdy youkai surrounding them. “You will face a number of powerful enemies, human child. I see why the earth has brought me to you.”

Natsume eyed the unnerving youkai for a moment before murmuring, “I’m sorry… I don’t understand?”

“Lord Souken is a spirit of future and foresight,” Sai explained. “Given enough time, he can view an individual’s path and potential. I’ve never seen him make a mistake.”

“There is no need for the ‘Lord’, Sai. I no longer rule that territory.”

Sai bowed her head. “Very well, S-souken.”

Natsume’s attention was suddenly drawn away from the two as Kogitsune tugged at his sleeve.

“Natsume, I’m going to leave now, before it gets too late. Would you like to come with me?” The fox child offered.

“Not tonight,” Natsume smiled. “I promised to do something for Sai here, so I have to stay a while longer. Thank you though.”

“Alright. Have a good night then, Natsume!” Kogitsune hopped off his stool, and Natsume ruffled his hair for a moment, before the fox child scampered off with a final wave.

When Natsume looked back up at his dinner companions, they were both watching him intently. He shrank a bit under the attention.

“You are an unusual human, Natsume. Even among all my years interacting with the people of the mountain villages, none were so simultaneously cautious and kind to the ayakashi around them. In your future also…” Souken mused.

Sai nodded her agreement.

“Very well then. I will assist you. It may even be worth staying awake to watch the change you bring to our world.”

“T-that’s a little…” Natsume stuttered.

The shimmering lines on Souken’s mask flared bright for an instant. “I can give you a spell. A way to call me when you are in desperate need of help.”

“’ _When_ I’m in need?’” Natsume said weakly.

“Will you accept?” 

“I d-don’t mean to offend you but… I can’t say yes. I’m sorry, but I’ve had too many experiences with curses to-“ Natsume was cut off by the abrupt arrival of Nyanko Sensei from below the table.

“Nyaaaatsumeee,” Nyanko whined, hauling himself onto the boy’s lap.

“Sensei, your breath stinks. How much sake did you drink, exactly?”

Nyanko Sensei shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position on Natsume’s legs, when his gaze landed on the looming form of Souken. He froze.

“Natsume.” Nyanko said, suddenly sober, his eyes never leaving the ayakashi next to him. “Do you know who this is?”

“Um-“

“Did he give you a reading?” Nyanko questioned urgently.

It was Souken who answered first. “I did. And I have offered the child my assistance in future circumstances.”

Nyanko’s eyes glinted gold as they narrowed. “And the price?”

“None,” Souken replied. “The mountain itself sent me here.”

Nyanko remained silent for another minute, scrutinizing the ayakashi sage. Finally, he turned to look up at Natsume. “You should accept.”

“What?” Natsume practically gaped at the cat.

“…Souken is a powerful youkai. Maybe stronger than me.” Nyanko grudgingly admitted. “And he is… was a guardian, so when he promises something, he carries it out. You get into trouble so often it would be better if you had some extra protection.” He finished with a huff. “Troublesome brat.”

Natsume slowly lifted his gaze back to Souken. “A-alright then. If you’re sure, Sensei.” He took a deep breath. “Souken, I accept your gift.”

“Very good.” The dark youkai rumbled. He reached out with slim, white fingers. “Give me your hand.”

Hesitantly, Natsume did, and Souken lifted it up, pushing back the sleeve to expose the inside of his wrist. Then with one quick motion, the youkai swiped a sharp nail across Natsume’s palm, a line of blood welling up from the slice. Natsume inhaled sharply, reflexively attempting to close his hand, but Souken was holding it open, and already opening a cut on his own wrist.

“Blood of the Caster.” The ayakashi sage’s finger drew across the wound on his wrist, then painted a half-circle onto Natsume’s.

“Blood of the Marked.” Souken smudged the droplets on Natsume’s palm, transferring that blood to the boy’s wrist to complete the circle. The moment the crimson ends met, tiny tendrils of red crept through the ring, activating the spell. 

Natsume watched in shock as the blood shimmered into gold, the same color as the lines on Souken’s mask, before it faded away completely. 

“This is a summoning spell. It will remain passive until you find yourself in a situation with no other way out, and then activate on its own.” Souken explained.

Natsume glanced at Nyanko Sensei again, his bodyguard’s ancient eyes alert and watching, a silent sentinel. Looking away, he said nothing to the waiting youkai, but simply stood and bowed. Souken inclined his head in return, and rose as well. Nyanko leap lightly off the stool he had been dropped onto, and on the other side of the table, Sai gracefully lifted herself up.

“Farewell, human child. Our next meeting shall be an interesting one. And sooner than you expect. Sai, I do not regret my choice, but seeing you here was a welcome surprise. I will visit you again as well.” And with that, Souken swept off down the hall, blurring away in a fine black mist at the exit.

Sai watched him go with a soft huff of laughter. “Somehow he hasn’t changed at all.” 

A moment more, and then she turned to Natsume. “We should be off too! Where would be a suitable place for you to return my name?”

“Ah, not here,” Natsume scanned the lines of drunken youkai nervously. “Maybe- maybe closer to my house.”

“Alright,” Sai agreed.

They hurried back to the head of the hall (with Nyanko Sensei muttering something about more names gone beside them), where another rough spell circle was scratched into the ground. A burst of light, and they were gone.

 

~~~

 

The three of them had walked a little ways down the path back to the town before Natsume stopped.

“Here should be fine,” Natsume murmured as he pulled the Book of Friends from his pack. Sai watched on with interest. 

“That which shields me, reveal thy name,” He whispered. The pages flipped, and a paper snapped straight up. Natsume tore it out and went through the familiar motions, folding it between his teeth, clapping and exhaling. “I return what has been taken… Yakio.”

A bright glow surrounded the willow ayakashi, momentarily making her unearthly, a creature of impossible beauty. Then, slowly, it faded, and a hush fell over the path.

Sai stood for a moment with her eyes closed and hands clasped together over her chest. Then she let out a soft breath, lashes fluttering open again.

“Thank you, Natsume,” Sai floated up to place a hand on the boy’s head. “We will meet again.”

Her gentle smile was the last thing to go as she drifted back, fading away into soft sparkles of light.

Nyanko’s sigh broke through Natsume’s reverie. “Of course you would manage to find another youkai who wanted their name back. And getting caught up in the schemes of other ancient beings, honestly. I want an extra manju for all this trouble, do you hear?” 

“Sensei…”

 

~~~

 

Just outside the Fujiwara’s house, Natsume paused. “Hey, Nyanko Sensei,”

The lucky cat looked up.

“Um… what happened to the last humans you knew?”

Nyanko stilled, silence falling heavy between the two.

“Hmph. Sai told you about that, didn’t she.”

“Well... in a way. She said I should ask you about it though.”

“…Don’t think about it too much. If Souken’s predictions are accurate, you’ll know eventually.” Nyanko said finally. “Now hurry up and open the door, it’s freezing out here.”

His future. It certainly was a terrifying thought. Natsume pushed the sliding door open.

“Touko-san, I’m back!”

“Ah, Takashi-kun, welcome home,” Touko called out, her warm voice calming Natsume almost immediately. “I’m nearly finished with the cooking, will you call Shigeru down?”

“Of course,” Natsume responded, tugging off his shoes.

As he began climbing the stairs however, he slowed, Nyanko Sensei beside him. “I just ate. Oh no, I just ate… I don’t think I can manage even Touko-san’s food.” Natsume looked at his companion helplessly.

Nyanko Sensei hmphed. “Weakling. I can always eat more.”

“Only you, Sensei.”

Well. Maybe Souken was right, and Natsume’s future would involve enough danger that a youkai even more powerful than Madara would have to be called in. But here, surrounded by warmth and family, Natsume was determined to make it work. After all, he had something to protect now.

 

~~~

 

“Oh, kitty seems to be very hungry tonight. He must’ve had a busy day.”

“I think Nyangoro is just trying to get even fatter, Touko.”

A disgruntled meow.

“Ah, Takashi-kun! You should follow kitty’s example and eat more! You’ve barely touched anything on your plate. Come, eat, eat!”

“I… yes, Touko-san.”


End file.
